


life healed like a wound (we will be alright)

by fonulyn



Series: the pinnacle of self-indulgence (aka my happy place) [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Break Up, Emotional Constipation, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fluff with a side of Fluff, Found Family, Getting Back Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Mentions of homophobia, My emotional support guilty pleasure fic, Piers Nivans Lives, Piers is alive and happy and healthy, Post-Resident Evil 6, Post-Resident Evil: Vendetta, Redfields are great friends, Romance, Sex, in like one conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-31 02:47:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21054632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fonulyn/pseuds/fonulyn
Summary: Silently Piers kept watching Leon eat, half sleepy and half lost in thought. Eventually Leon noticed, arching an eyebrow as he looked down. “What’s on your mind?”“Nothing,” Piers replied at first, grinning sleepily up at the other man. There were dark circles under Leon’s eyes and a bruise forming on his cheek, the tiredness obvious on his features and his hair still damp from the shower. Yet he seemed relaxed and content, like there was no other place he’d rather be than here, and it made something suddenly twist in Piers’ chest. “I just think I love you.”Leon paused mid-chew, obviously surprised, his eyes widening ever so slightly. “What?”





	life healed like a wound (we will be alright)

**Author's Note:**

> So I need to give out a few honorable mentions here! 
> 
> First of all, Letty wrote [this amazing thing](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20297098) and ever since I read it, I haven't been able to make my brain shut up about these two. So, thank you for the inspiration ❤
> 
> Then, a big thank you to Aide for naming Piers's mom for me :'D ❤
> 
> And as always, thank you to Tatsu for being there to hold my hand when I'm freaking out about ...whatever the freakout of the day happens to be, lmao. You're awesome ❤
> 
> I know this is such a tiny nearly nonexistent pairing but I honestly had _so much fun_ writing it, I can't even put it into words. So I figured I'd post it, in case someone else might get some enjoyment out of it :D

The tiredness had settled so deep into Piers’ bones that it felt like no amount of sleep could possibly ever be enough for him. Even the long shower he’d taken after they landed hadn’t really woken him up, nor the cool night air when he walked the last two blocks to his apartment. By the time he stood in front of his door and dug the key out of his pocket, he’d practically decided he could just sleep for the following week. 

The door opened with a click and Piers stepped in, already shrugging out of his coat. Yet as soon as the door fell shut behind him he knew he wasn’t alone. The tiredness was replaced by alertness, and blindly he hung his coat before carefully taking a step into the apartment… only to relax in his stance as he realized who it was, standing in the middle of his living room, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. “Leon? What are you doing here?” Piers asked, unable to even summon a smile in return at first as he was so surprised. 

“Is that how you’re going to greet me?” Leon asked with a grin, shifting a little to face Piers better. He looked tired, too, and he’d probably just gotten back as well. It made something like contentment spread in Piers’ chest as he realized that he probably was the first stop that Leon had made after getting off duty. Leon pulled his hands out of his pockets, lifting them a little in a questioning gesture. “Didn’t you miss me?”

As an answer, Piers took the two steps that still separated them and kissed Leon so eagerly he almost bit his lip in his haste. He could feel how Leon’s smile fell away as he had to choose between maintaining it and returning the kiss. And Piers didn’t stop advancing, but made Leon move backwards until they reached the couch.

There they broke apart for as long as it took for Leon to pull Piers’ shirt over his head. ”Fuck yes I missed you,” Piers somehow managed to choke out, as breathless as he was, but then Leon’s mouth was back on his and all coherent thought escaped his mind. Despite the distraction, Piers tried to unbutton Leon’s shirt, but his fingers weren’t co-operating and with a frustrated grunt he gave up. Instead he shoved his hands underneath the fabric, bunching it up as he slid his palms over Leon’s ribs. It was a bit of a hassle, but he managed to slide the shirt off Leon without opening a single button, which was a feat in itself.

Apparently equally as impatient, Leon had already managed to work Piers’ pants open, and wasting no time he pulled them down over the curve of his ass. He pulled back from the kiss to mouth along the line of Piers’ jaw, huffing out a laugh as he reached his ear. “I did bring takeout,” he admitted, but at the same time grabbed generous handfuls of Piers’ ass, yanking him close against himself. “If you’d rather eat first.”

“Fuck the takeout,” Piers answered, groaning shamelessly as he rubbed his dick against Leon’s hip, eager for more of the friction. Only now his brain caught up to the fact that they were still standing there, and immediately he gave Leon’s chest a small push, urging him towards the couch. Leon went willingly and fell back onto the cushions with an ‘oof’, but his hands were still holding on to Piers’ ass and easily he pulled the younger man down with him. 

Piers laughed as he fell on top of Leon, but it quickly turned into an incoherent throaty sound and he used the opportunity he was given to grind down against the other man. “Why the hell are you still wearing your pants?” he complained, steadying himself against the armrest of the couch with one hand as he brought the other between them to fumble with the zipper of Leon’s slacks. 

“Oh I’m fine,” Leon chuckled breathlessly. “Enjoying the view.” As if to underline his words he let his gaze rake over Piers’ arm, how the muscles were straining with the effort to keep himself up, all the way to his shoulders and his chest. But as much as he did enjoy the view, he wasn’t against getting this show on the road, either. So helpfully he lifted his hips, even if he completely unhelpfully let Piers do all the work. Meanwhile he wrapped his fingers around Piers’ dick, stroking him almost lazily. 

“You’re such a dick,” Piers groaned. Helplessly he jerked his hips forward, but he was nothing if not stubborn and he was determined to get Leon out of his pants too. His stubbornness was rewarded eventually, and he might have made a triumphant sound as he finally freed Leon’s cock. At least Leon laughed throatily at him, but the sound soon melted into a moan as he bucked upwards in search for more. 

They were shamelessly rutting against each other like teenagers, pants still only pulled to mid-thigh so they were out of the way. Neither of them managed any more finesse right now, though, their patience long gone. If it had ever existed to begin with. Piers surged down to practically smash their mouths together again, and even if the kisses were short and breathless they didn’t lack in sheer _need_. 

Leon closed a hand behind Piers’ neck, holding him close even when they broke apart for breath, so close their noses were touching and they went cross-eyed if they tried to look at each other. Sweat had plastered Leon’s hair against his forehead, and Piers was no better, blinking sweat out of his eyes as he kept rutting down against the other man. 

Even now, Leon was still trying to draw it out, make it last longer, and kept on jerking Piers off maddeningly slowly. Whenever he brushed his thumb over the tip, or teased with barest hint of nails, Piers practically forgot how to breathe. He let his head fall forward until it was wedged between Leon’s and the backrest of the couch, and didn’t even try to bite back the needy little gasps that fell from his lips in a continuous stream. 

Eventually Piers ran out of patience and swatted Leon’s hand away, taking them both in hand and setting a far quicker pace. He was aiming for quick release, too far gone to maintain any modicum of control. That left Leon’s right hand free and immediately he slid it around Piers’ hip, shamelessly going for a handful of that ass again. He arched his back and simultaneously used his grip to pull Piers closer, making the younger man curse out loud. “Fuck, do that again.”

Who was Leon to deny him that? 

The next second Piers bit down on Leon’s shoulder, muffling his moan into his skin as he tipped over the edge, coming in thick stripes all over his chest. In his haze he slowed down the strokes, nearly stopping altogether, until Leon honest-to-god _whined_. “C’mon Piers, don’t stop, _don’t stop, d_–” 

Almost as an apology, Piers kissed the words off Leon’s lips, shifting his grip so he dropped his own dick and just focused on trying to get Leon off as fast as he could. All the telltale signs were there already, from the way Leon was arching up against him to the way he lost focus in the kiss, to the way his grip on Piers tightened reflexively. Then a full-body shudder went through him, his orgasm washing through him like a tidal wave. 

Piers stayed close, nuzzled his nose against Leon’s temple, and only when they’d both caught their breath a little he shifted to the side so that all of his weight wouldn’t be on Leon. “That was a record,” he snickered, “the first time neither of us got rid of their pants.” There was cum on his fingers and shamelessly he wiped them off on Leon’s side, making the man squirm in a half-hearted attempt to get away. 

It was a futile effort and Leon gave up soon enough. Instead he wrapped an arm around Piers’ waist, while brushing his fingers through the short hair at the back of his head. “Hopefully also the last,” he commented lazily, even if the grin on his lips betrayed him, as he didn’t honestly mind all that much. Yet after a moment it was starting to get uncomfortable, and he reached to slap Piers’ bottom lightly. “Get off me so we can shower.”

“Yes, sir,” Piers answered with a bright grin. He almost tripped over his own feet, with the way his pants were still somewhere around mid-thigh and when he tried to get them off his shoes proved to be a problem. Not that he even minded making a bit of a fool of himself, not at a moment like this. “I think you got the most of the mess, though,” he pointed out, nodding towards Leon’s chest that was streaked in white. 

“You don’t have to join me if you don’t want to,” Leon answered dryly, well aware of what the answer was going to be, already before Piers stumbled in his haste to get his left shoe off so he could follow. 

Despite the impressive amount of groping and kissing the shower turned out to be a fairly quick affair, and soon they were sprawled over the couch with the takeout containers in hand, dressed only in bathrobes, enjoying the silent companionship as they ate. Leon had lifted his feet onto the coffee table, settled comfortably, and Piers was sitting sideways so he could lean his back on Leon’s shoulder and throw his feet up onto the couch. 

As soon as he was done eating Piers deposited the carton onto the table and slid down until he was lying on his back on the couch with his head in Leon’s lap. Silently he kept watching Leon eat, half sleepy and half lost in thought. Eventually Leon noticed, arching an eyebrow as he looked down. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” Piers replied at first, grinning sleepily up at the other man. There were dark circles under Leon’s eyes and a bruise forming on his cheek, the tiredness obvious on his features and his hair still damp from the shower. Yet he seemed relaxed and content, like there was no other place he’d rather be than here, and it made something suddenly twist in Piers’ chest. “I just think I love you.”

Leon paused mid-chew, obviously surprised, his eyes widening ever so slightly. “What?” was his eloquent reply, and with some difficulty he swallowed, before setting the container down. “Where did that now come from?” 

Piers shrugged a little. He was fully aware that this was the first time either one of them had said it out loud. And he was equally aware that Leon had a myriad of hang-ups and issues when it came to actually verbally communicating anything that had to do with _feelings_. But the thing was, he hadn’t said it expecting anything in return. He’d said it just because he’d wanted to. Nothing changed how he felt. 

“Just take it, okay. I’m way too tired to have a proper conversation right now,” he said. He was clearly offering a way out for Leon, trying not to put pressure on him. 

Slowly Leon nodded, and the smile he gave Piers could only be described as fond. “Bed?”

“Bed,” Piers agreed, already moving to get up. 

Piers made a quick pit stop in the bathroom, and when he finally made it to the bedroom Leon was already settled in. He pushed the covers to the side as a wordless invitation, one that was immediately accepted. Unceremoniously Piers shrugged the bathrobe off, without an ounce of self-consciousness. He dove in after Leon, practically blanketing him with the way he leaned over him, relishing in all of the glorious skin on skin contact. This time when they kissed it was unhurried, almost lazy, kissing just to enjoy it without expecting it to lead to anything else. 

After pulling back from it, Piers pillowed his head on Leon’s shoulder, and allowed his eyes to fall shut as the older man pulled the covers over them both. Then Leon’s hand was at the back of Piers’ head, gently stroking the nape of his neck with his thumb. It was so comfortable, so achingly domestic, that Piers couldn’t stop himself.

“You know, my mom’s coming over for a few days at the end of the month. I thought… maybe you could join us for coffee?” Carefully he peeked at the other man from the corner of his eyes, even held his breath for a second as he felt Leon tense. “It’s totally cool if you don’t want to,” he hurried to add. “Just… thought I’d throw it out there.”

They’d been seeing each other regularly for over a year now, had been sleeping together on and off for almost two, and Piers didn’t think it was that big of a step to take. His mother had met girlfriends and boyfriends that he hadn’t been even half as serious about as he was about Leon. 

If this would last, he’d want his family to get to know Leon too, and vice versa. And he really, _really_ wanted this to last. At first he’d thought that time would cut off most intense edges, that the excitement of being _together _would dull once the exhilarating excitement had worn off. That’s how his previous relationships had always ended. Yet he’d noticed that his feelings had just shifted from the thrill of having something new to a deeper, all-encompassing contentment. 

Somehow, the realization hadn’t even freaked him out. If this was it for him, well, all the better.

It took a long while for Leon to respond to the suggestion, and when he did he was obviously struggling for words, trying to find something passable. “I’m…” he started and shut up again, groaning in annoyance as he failed to put anything to words. Eventually he settled for a “Let’s see.”

“That’s fine.” Piers grinned against Leon’s shoulder, even tilted his head to press a wet smacking kiss there. “Get some rest, old man. You look like you need it.” He propped himself up on his elbow and leaned in to steal a quick kiss, but after he settled back down right next to the other man he fell asleep like on command. 

Leon however didn’t sleep a wink. He’d been so tired he’d thought that sleep would come easy as soon as he was warm and comfortable, but his mind was suddenly in an overdrive and there was no trace of the tiredness left. He kept replaying the evening in his head, the way Piers so casually had dropped the confession without even demanding anything in return, how he was trying to include Leon into his life beyond the moments they shared just the two of them, behind closed doors. 

It was huge. None of the relationships Leon had previously had came even close to this. First he’d been a confused teenager trying to figure out what he wanted and what he liked, had taken so long to come to terms with actual _coming out _that he hadn’t really dated anyone even remotely seriously. Then he’d been thrown into the Raccoon City disaster, into the agent training, into a mission after a mission, and there had never really been the right time for building anything serious.

There’d been Ada. But he hadn’t deluded himself into thinking it’d last even for a minute, even if things had been complicated between them for years. There’d been one night stands, and short tumultuous relationships that had always fallen apart rather sooner than later. It’d been so consistent that Leon had eventually resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t hold on to a relationship even if he wanted to. With a job like his, with all the hang-ups and issues he had…? It was no wonder no one could deal with him in the long run. 

He’d thought that was okay, that was how life was for him, that was what he should settle for. He’d gotten out from under the control of his parents, he’d been practically adopted by the Redfield siblings, and he’d built himself a small but important circle of friends. And he’d thought it’d been enough. That it’d been more than he deserved anyway. He hadn’t allowed himself to hope for more.

Until the stubborn, tenacious, persistent young sniper had barrelled his way into his life. 

Even so, Leon had no idea when things had shifted. When had he started yearning for things that he’d already written off, had already decided weren’t going to be on the table for him. He’d kept telling himself that Piers would soon grow tired of him, would soon find someone better, would soon find focus elsewhere than whatever it was they were doing. And he’d figured he’d just enjoy it while it lasted, and keep the good memories. 

Yet now… 

There was a lump in Leon’s throat as he searched Piers’ features for answers that weren’t coming. Piers’ face was relaxed in sleep, his breaths even and body warm right there next to Leon’s. Reverently, Leon traced his fingers along Piers’ temple, down to his jaw, the touch ever so light not to wake the man up. 

Harshly Leon bit the inside of his cheek to keep the tears from spilling over. With a heavy heart he knew what he had to do. He had to end this before it would get too much. Before either one of them got into it so deep that there was no turning back. It was only a matter of time before he’d let Piers down, before he’d fuck something up, before he’d _hurt him_. 

And Piers deserved better. He deserved someone who wasn’t fucking _broken_, someone who could give him the world. He deserved someone who didn’t answer a love confession with a ‘_what_’ of all things, but could say it back. As much as it tore him up inside, Leon knew that someone wasn’t him. Everything he touched fell to pieces. Everyone he loved either used him or got hurt by him.

Eyes burning Leon stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom, trying to fight off the panic. Unhelpfully his mind started providing him with all the possible what-if scenarios of things that could go wrong, all of the ways he could screw this up. His palms went clammy, his breathing shallow and ragged, and his skin felt altogether too tight for him. It was like he was seconds away from bursting at the seams, only kept together by the last remains of sheer willpower.

Only when he made up his mind the panic finally started to fade. He’d do the right thing, he’d walk away before he did any more harm. For the last time Leon let himself enjoy the closeness, focus on the shared warmth. But when Piers rolled onto his side in his sleep, Leon tore himself away and carefully got up, silently padding out of the room.

*

The digital numbers of the clock glared 5:05 at Piers in the darkness as he stirred awake, unsure of what had woken him up in the first place. It took a moment for him to even come back to reality enough to know where he was, and a second longer for him to place the fact that he wasn’t supposed to be in bed alone. He shifted a little, propped himself up on his elbow, and blinked sleepily around the room before spotting the figure in the doorway.

“You leaving already?” he asked, trying and failing to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Slowly he sat up, the covers pooling around his waist, and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to fight off the last traces of sleep. “I thought you had the day off too, I was hoping we could… spend it together? Maybe even make it a real date and go to the movies?” 

Leon leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, slouching a little. His hands were in the pockets of his slacks, the two top buttons of his shirt open, and even though the getup was wrinkled and obviously from the day before, he looked unfairly good for someone who probably hadn’t slept in who knew how long. “I’ve got to go,” he started, almost hesitantly. 

Piers grinned at the way Leon’s gaze dropped down to his bare chest, lingering. Maybe he could convince the man to stay, after all, if he just played his cards right. “You sure you have to? I mean, we could as well spend the day in bed. You just got back, we both did. It’s been lonely without you.”

Leon looked down, his hair falling into his face, obscuring his expression. “Piers. I can’t keep doing this anymore.”

“Doing what?” It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did it felt like he’d been dunked into ice cold water. Only then he realized the way Leon was hunched in on himself, how he seemed like he’d closed off and was shielding himself from the world. Everything about Leon’s body language spoke of withdrawal, and that was when it clicked. “Wait? Are you breaking up with me?”

“I should’ve done it a long time ago,” Leon muttered, and when he glanced up it was painfully visible how haunted he looked, his eyes wide and rimmed red, but nothing but determination in the set of his jaw. “It’s not fair to string you on, this was all a mistake.” 

“And _this _is fair?” Piers shot back, disbelieving. “You said _nothing _last night! You… you let me think everything’s fine! And you just… what? Came here for a round of goodbye sex? Without telling me?” Suddenly he felt incredibly vulnerable, sitting there naked and helpless, unable to even wrap his mind around what was going on. Everything had seemed so normal the previous night… If anything, they’d both been a touch more desperate for closeness than usual, after being apart for so long. 

“I didn’t know how to bring it up.” Leon grimaced. He pulled his hands from his pockets, only to fix his gaze on them, clenching his fists to hide the way they shook. “But I know we can’t just keep doing… whatever it is we’re doing. You should find someone you have a future with. Someone …better. Someone your own age.”

“My own age?” Piers laughed disbelievingly. He’d thought that was an issue they’d resolved like… the second time they fell into bed together. It had never seemed like either of them cared about something as mundane as _numbers_. “Fucking hell, I’m not a child! And you know that!” Anger and frustration mixed with sheer fucking _despair _flared up inside of him so strongly that he jumped up, taking a step closer. Immediately Leon visibly flinched, and that made Piers stop in his tracks.

Leon crossed his arms over his chest, taking a single step backwards into the doorway. “This was never a good idea to begin with. Don’t chain yourself to this just because it feels safe.” The way he spoke was hurried, almost rehearsed.

“_Chain _myself!? Shit, Leon, do you even hear what’s coming out of your mouth?” Piers burst out, desperately trying to find some sense in the situation, trying to find whatever the right words were to make this mess go away and make things go back to the way they were. “What’s gotten into you?” he tried, pitching his voice lower, trying his hardest to contain the anger and be rational. 

“What’s gotten–” Leon started to repeat, but then gave up, a joyless huff of laughter escaping him. “I’m _finally _doing what I should’ve done months ago,” he went on, voice strained, each word like forced out. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Fine,” Piers hissed, his patience snapping. He marched to the closet and grabbed the first pair of sweatpants he found, stepping into them, and that’s as far as he got before his temper flared up again and he swirled around, pointing an accusing finger at Leon who still lingered in the doorway. “No, you know what, it’s _not fine_! Nothing about this is _fine_!” 

This time he advanced, ignoring the way Leon tensed as if bracing for combat, and stopped only when they were standing face to face, only inches apart. He couldn’t stop the words from coming, like a dam had broken and let the water flood out. His heart was hammering against his ribcage, blood rushing in his ears, and he was so utterly _terrified _that he was going to lose what he had hoped would last for a lifetime. “Stop treating me like child! You don’t have _any right _to make decisions about my life for me! In this line of work I could be dead tomorrow, and I have the goddamn right to live how I want to while I still can!” 

“_Please_.” Leon closed his eyes, his voice cracking on the single word. When he looked up again his voice was still silent, but this time it was firm, full of resolve. “If you don’t want to be treated like a child, then stop acting like one.”

“What the f–” Piers threw his hands up in surrender, shaking his head. Somehow every single word Leon said made his stomach turn with hurt, nausea welling up. “What the hell is going on!? Where did this suddenly come from?”

“_Nothing’s _going on,” Leon grit out through clenched teeth, his self control in tethers, hanging by a thread. Something flashed in his eyes and Piers didn’t have the time to decipher it before Leon went on, every word measured and emphasized like punches to the gut. “I just don’t want this anymore, okay? Was fun while it lasted, and now it’s not anymore, so there. That’s all.”

Piers felt like the floor opened up beneath his feet. He was falling, spinning in the air, and it lasted both an eternity and barely a second before he slammed down onto the ground with enough force that _everything _shattered. “You don’t mean that.” He managed to force out in a tiny voice.

“I don’t?” Leon arched an eyebrow, eyes hard as he stared Piers down. “Goodbye, Piers.” 

Piers couldn’t move an inch, could barely breathe, when Leon walked away.

*

Somehow Leon had expected things to be easier. He’d imagined it’d be like ripping off a band-aid, and dealing with the pain in one go, instead of this… lingering ache and guilt that kept gnawing at his insides. For once he was glad when he got called in for work, and for the three days it took to neutralize the threat of a BOW terrorist attack he could blissfully focus only on the assignment at hand.

But then he was sent home, told that he had vacation days to use, and he was back where he’d started. The first two nights he spent lying in bed wide awake, staring into nothingness. Everything reminded him of what he’d lost, what he’d _thrown away_, and he wasn’t exactly equipped to deal with any of that. He spent countless hours trying to convince himself that he’d made the right call, that it’d be the best possible outcome, that it’d benefit everyone involved in the end. 

Didn’t stop it from hurting like hell, though. 

So eventually Leon gave in and did the next best thing: he called Claire. She could drink him under the table any given day, and that felt like exactly what he needed right now. The promise of an all-encompassing numbness felt damn near heavenly compared to the way he was slowly falling apart at the seams. She’d been there for all of his break-ups ever since they became friends, and she’d always somehow managed to make things look at least a touch better.

Yet when the doorbell rang and Leon dragged himself to open the door, he was faced with a set of wide shoulders and a thunderous expression instead of the redhead he’d expected. Chris didn’t even bother with a greeting, stomping inside huffily. “What the hell did you do to my best sniper!? He’s been absolutely _insufferable _for _days_!”

The question sent a fresh wave of guilt and hurt through Leon but he did his best to ignore it, closed his eyes and breathed in deep. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he followed Chris into the apartment, arching an eyebrow at his friend when he spun around to face him. “I distinctly remember calling the other Redfield.”

Chris had the sense to look guilty for a second, but then he just shrugged. “Well, Claire called me,” he explained like it clarified everything. In a way it did. “She said I’m the more stubborn one and thus it’s my job to punch some sense into you before it’s too late.” 

“Punch?” Leon echoed. He decided that to hell with this, it didn’t really matter that much which Redfield he’d get drunk with. So he stepped into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge. 

“Her exact words,” Chris answered, voice raised loud enough to carry from the next room. 

Leon only gave a small shrug as he handed the beer to Chris. “I should’ve known. Sounds like her.” He dropped down onto the couch, kicked his feet onto the coffee table, and emptied half of his beer in one go. He really wasn’t in the mood for talking about this, but he knew that when it came to Chris, it was inevitable. 

“Seriously tho,” Chris started, and although Leon wasn’t looking at him he knew he was frowning. Gingerly Chris took a seat next to Leon on the couch, and reached out to place a warm palm on his shoulder. “Are you okay? What happened?” 

The genuine concern in his voice was too much for Leon to handle, and he took another long drink from his beer. He didn’t deserve any of that. “I broke up with him,” he answered curtly, unable to bring himself to even say Piers’ name out loud. Fucking coward, that was all he was. “That’s all.” It sounded weak even to his own ears, but he couldn’t bring himself to explain it any better. Finally he turned his head to look at his friend, who was still frowning at him. 

“But why?” Chris looked like he honestly couldn’t even begin to understand. 

Leon shrugged. “He can do better.”

That now earned him a glare. “Fuck you.”

The words startled a laugh out of Leon. “C’mon Chris,” he pleaded. Maybe he could reason with his friend, convince him that his decision wasn’t a spur of a moment thing but absolutely necessary. Hell, he wouldn’t have done it otherwise. He downed the rest of his beer, setting the bottle to the floor. “You _know _me. I’m not cut out for this. Sooner or later I’ll fuck it up, and it’s better to do it before things get too deep.”

“I think you kind of passed that point already.” Chris arched an eyebrow. He held his beer up and out of reach when Leon made a grab for it, easily dodging the drink stealing attempts. He took a small sip himself, playing for time before he went on. “Seriously, Leon, listen to me. Piers has been putting everyone through the wringer. I’ve never seen him like this. I tried to talk to him about it, but he told me to go to hell.”

“He told _you _that?” Leon chuckled, amused despite himself. He knew the amount of respect that Piers had for Chris and imagining him snapping like that..? Surprisingly amusing. Even though that only lasted for a second before the thought took a melancholy turn. All Leon could think about was the expression he’d last seen before he’d walked away, all of the confusion and pure hurt he’d left behind. 

“Yeah, he did,” Chris grinned. This time he wasn’t fast enough, and when Leon made a grab for the beer he actually managed to steal it. With a huff Chris got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing himself a replacement. Feeling generous, he took the next round for the both of them too, now that he was at the fridge. “Seriously though,” he continued as soon as he was back in his seat. “I thought you were …happy?”

Leon closed his eyes, searching for words. None came, so he just blurted out the first thing that came into his mind. “He asked me to meet _his mother_.” Of course there had also been the love confession, the one he had responded to so abysmally, but for some reason he wanted to keep that private. Thinking back to it was like wrapping barbed wire around his organs, but at the same time it was like his mind couldn’t stop replaying the moment in an infinite loop.

“Wow. That’s serious.” Chris nodded slowly, thoughtful. “And you panicked and ran away.” It wasn’t even a question, it was a statement, and in a way Leon was glad they knew each other as well as they did. He didn’t need to explain to Chris how much something like that scared him, how the mere thought of having something more serious to mess up was more than he could handle. Chris knew all of that already. He understood. 

“Worse,” Leon admitted with a sigh. “I basically called him a child. And told him it was all a mistake.” He had already managed to empty the second bottle of beer for the night, and since he hadn’t really eaten anything he was beginning to feel a little bit lightheaded. 

Chris whistled as if impressed. “Alright so you’re going to have to do _a lot _of groveling when you apologize.” Without a word he handed Leon the third beer. Leon knew that this wouldn’t go on forever, Chris was already probably calculating how many he’d allow him to have before he’d cut him off, and somehow the thought amused him. 

He chose not to comment on that, though, but instead took a smaller sip of beer this time, before asking “_When_? What makes you think I’m going to?”

The noise Chris made could only be described as frustrated. “Listen to me, Leon, and listen to me carefully,” he started in his best commanding officer tone, something that Leon might’ve found hot if they weren’t basically like brothers. “I’ve never seen you as genuinely happy and balanced as this past year. You’ve looked like an actually functional human being for once. You can’t say that he wasn’t good for you.”

“I never denied that,” Leon admitted silently. He breathed in deep to steel himself, then released all air from his lungs in one go. When he went on, he met Chris’ gaze straight to show how he really meant what he said. “He’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me. That’s why I don’t want to drag him down with me. He deserves better.” He squinted up at the other man, searching for words. “How was that saying again? If you love them let them go?”

“That is such fucking bullshit.” Chris sounded almost angry, something flaring up in his eyes. “You know what it looked like to me?” He didn’t wait for a reply but pressed on, ranting off his angry tirade. “He was always good but lately he’s been _phenomenal_. He finally grew into his own skin properly, and he’s really not a kid anymore, not by any stretch of imagination. He’s gotten that temper of his under control, too, he’s twice the captain that I ever was. And I think you’ve got to accept partial credit for that.” 

He glared Leon down, as if willing him to understand. “Seriously, Leon. If he’s been good for you? You’ve been good for him. Stop with the self-deprecating bullshit.”

“You’ve seen it up close, though,” Leon tried to explain, still, despite the lump in his throat and the tiny pinpricks of stubborn tears in his eyes. “I always screw relationships up! I even screw up most of my friendships, it’s like it takes a thick skulled Redfield to put up with me. It’s not fair to string him on for longer if I know already now that it’s gonna all go to shit.”

“You make it sound like _you_’ve always been the one to blame,” Chris huffed. “From where I’m standing, it looks like that’s a half-truth if I ever saw one. Want me to list off all of the assholes who screwed _you _over? Or would that interfere with your martyrdom too much?”

“Screw you,” Leon snapped. All fight left him a mere second later, though, and resignedly he took another drink. He’d wanted to drink to forget but somehow the alcohol was only making him remember everything even more vividly, and before he even knew it the lump in his throat was so big it was impossible to swallow around. “I’m fucking terrified, okay? He’s…” He hesitated. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this about anyone in my life. And I don’t know what to do with it.”

Chris shrugged a little, looking so unconcerned that Leon kind of wanted to shake him. “Honestly? I don’t think anyone does. You’ve just got to figure it out as you go along.” He paused to swat a little at Leon’s shoulder to shut the inevitable protests up. “You know I’m right! It won’t do either of you any good if you throw away a good thing just because you’re scared. Give it a chance.”

The sigh that escaped Leon was largely resigned. “Yeah.” Logically he knew that Chris was right. It was beginning to be harder and harder to remember what his reasons for the break up had even been. He was still afraid of messing up, he was still afraid that it would end in the both of them getting even _more _hurt. But at the same time he _wanted_, so badly, to at least give it a try. If only Piers would still have him. He wasn’t sure what he’d done could be forgiven.

For a moment Chris watched his friend, and finally the seriousness was replaced with an amused glint in his eyes. “He really managed to snipe your heart,” he snickered, obviously extremely content with his own choice of words. 

Despite himself, Leon laughed. “Oh my god Chris you _suck_.”

“Now c’mon. You know you want to.” Chris grinned good-naturedly as he opened his arms, beckoning Leon to come closer. “The Redfield hugs have legendary healing properties.” Willingly Leon let himself be pulled into a warm bear-hug, practically sank into his friend’s chest to revel in the comfort he was given. The wording Chris had used may have been pompous, but there was definite truth to it. Both of the Redfields did give amazing hugs.

Even afterwards they sat there so close their shoulders were touching, comfortable in the casual closeness. Leon hadn’t had siblings growing up, but it had all come surprisingly easy once he’d been unofficially taken into this family. In companionable silence they watched the black and white western that happened to be on TV, and once Leon finished his beer he didn’t even get up to find a new one. So much for his plan of getting smashed drunk. 

After a while Chris nudged Leon with his elbow. “I’m staying the night. Tomorrow morning we’ll hash out a plan, okay.” He paused for a second, frowning as something occurred to him. “You _are _going to apologize, right?”

Despite his first instinct to run away as fast as he could, Leon nodded. “Yeah. I am.”

*

Leon’s palms felt clammy. He had stood there for at least a good fifteen minutes, trying to talk himself into at least ringing the doorbell. It felt like a gargantuan task, all of the carefully planned apologies and explanations flying right out of his mind. Chris had been nothing but supportive, and had dropped him off earlier with one last quick hug and a pat on the back, telling him to ‘go for it’, and right at that moment he’d actually felt like he _could _do it.

The longer he waited, the more disastrous outcomes he could run through his brain and it made him want to just turn on his heels and leave. He paced the length of the corridor more than once, but then took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confrontation. Finally he raised his hand, rang the doorbell and _waited_.

There were muffled voices inside the apartment, a conversation Leon couldn’t make out, and then the door flung open and Leon finally came face to face with Piers. For a second it felt like the floor opened up underneath him, leaving him falling, but then he managed to somehow get a hold of himself and attempted a smile in greeting. It was atrocious, the grimace having nothing to do with an actual smile, but it was the best he could do. “Hey,” he choked out, unable to say anything more.

Piers looked good. Good as in healthy, and even happy until his expression closed off the second he realized who it was behind the door. Immediately he crossed his arms over his chest, squared his shoulders and lifted his chin defiantly. “What do you want?” 

The words sounded harsh but then again, harsh was all he deserved, Leon thought. He tried not to grimace, instead keeping his voice as level as he could, his expression neutral. “Could we talk?” he asked, his heart hammering in his throat, his pulse going a million miles an hour. All he wanted to do was reach out and pull the other man closer but he knew he had no right to do that. So instead he ran his fingers through his hair nervously, before stuffing both his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“It’s not a good time,” Piers huffed. He made it sound like _never _would be a good time. There was sourness in his voice and his expression that Leon had never seen before. Vaguely he gestured into the apartment, shrugging a little as he finally decided to explain. “I’ve got company.”

“Company?” Leon couldn’t help but ask, even if that was so not his business. A flash of how happy Piers had seemed before recognizing him surged through Leon’s mind and suddenly it was like someone had stabbed an icicle straight through his heart. Had Piers really already moved on? Found someone else? The thought of that hollowed out Leon’s chest and he took a step backwards, ready to leave. “Oh. I’ll just…”

He didn’t manage to make his leave before someone popped up in the doorway, pushing Piers aside a little to be able to step in next to him. “Who is it, Piers?” she asked, already eyeing Leon from head to toe, smiling at him politely. She was a small woman, probably in her sixties, and there was enough family resemblance that the penny dropped immediately. Piers’ mother. 

“It’s just,” Piers clearly hesitated, the corners of his mouth twisting downwards as he glanced between his mother and Leon, clearly trying to decide how he wanted to play this. Eventually he blurted out just _work_, and only when his mother arched a questioning eyebrow at him he cleared his throat and repeated. “Work. Agent Kennedy here was just leaving.” 

“Oh, okay,” her smile widened just a tinge, and she either didn’t notice the clear displeasure radiating from her son or then she just didn’t care, for one reason or another. Instead of retreating back inside she reached a hand out to Leon for a handshake. “Elaine Nivans. Very pleased to meet you. Agent Kennedy, was it?” 

“Um,” Leon hesitated, but then instinct kicked in and he took the offered hand. “Yes ma’am. Leon Kennedy.” As soon as the curt handshake was over he buried his hands back into his pockets, hunching ever so slightly into his jacket as if it could offer some kind of protection. 

“Leon?” Mrs Nivans frowned slightly, only for a second, but then she seemed to make the connection and her eyes widened as she turned to look at her son. “Isn’t that…”

Piers looked visibly pained. “_Mom_. Not now.” He moved a little, basically blocking her from getting out of the door properly, as if he was bodily trying to push her back inside. She didn’t seem too pleased about it, but she gave in, giving Piers an annoyed glare. The look she directed towards Leon was even worse, though. She looked at him like she’d look at something nasty she scraped off the bottom of her shoe. 

The next second she was gone, though, and they both waited in silence for a moment just to make sure she was out of earshot properly. “So. What is it?” Piers asked eventually. 

A part of Leon wanted to run, still, but he took a deep breath and decided that he had nothing to lose. Worst case scenario? Piers would tell him to go fuck himself and he’d spend the next however many weeks wallowing in guilt and hurt, exactly like the previous week. Best case scenario? Maybe they could still… He didn’t really allow himself to hope too much. “Look, I just want to talk. After that it’s up to you what happens.”

For a moment Piers seemed to consider it, lips pressed to a thin line as he eyed Leon up, as if trying to see what his intentions were. Apparently he was satisfied with what he saw as eventually he nodded. “Okay. Then talk.” He took a step outside, carefully closing the door behind himself. Then he was looking at Leon again, the intensity of his stare kind of unnerving. 

For a second Leon was rendered speechless. They were really doing this here, in the middle of the corridor? Then again, he wasn’t really in the position to make any demands, so he took what he got. Even if all that he managed to get out was a half-whispered “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah?” Piers looked decidedly unimpressed. He crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance a little, as if he was bracing for defense. “And what are you sorry for?” The tremor in his voice was barely noticeable, and after he’d paused for composure it was steady again. “Saying this was a mistake? Calling me a child? Walking away like a dick?”

“All of it,” Leon admitted willingly. His fingers were itching to reach out and touch, to smooth out the tense line of Piers’ jaw, to wipe away the shadows under his eyes and to just hold him, for both of their sake. Desperately he searched for proper words to convey what he wanted to say, but found none. Everything felt too lame, too mundane, too… underwhelming. 

Finally Leon gave a one-shouldered shrug, willing the tears down as he met the other man’s gaze with his own. “I’m not good with commitment. And I know it’s no excuse, I know it doesn’t make it right. But when I realized how serious everything was getting I…” he hesitated, huffing out an entirely un-amused laugh. “You asked me to meet your _mother_. I’ve never in my life dated anyone long enough to get to that.” Admitting that kind of made him feel a little pathetic, but it was how it was. 

Again Leon paused, and it seemed that Piers was going to let him get through his stammering of an apology in peace as he didn’t interrupt, not although he was intently listening. “And I know I called you a child but _you’re _the one who’s so much better at …all of this.” Vaguely he gestured between them, trying to will the other man to understand. “And you said it yourself. In this line of work, you could be dead tomorrow. I could be dead tomorrow. And I’ve never before been scared of that. I… never had enough to lose.” 

Still there was no response, nothing to cut off his tirade of incoherent words, and he decided to roll with it. “So. What I’m trying to say is…” He trailed off, not sure what he could say, how to find the words that would properly explain what was going on inside of his head. In the end he met Piers’ gaze, hoping he saw how much he meant what he said. “It was never a mistake. _You _were never a mistake.”

Something twisted in Piers’ expression, and for the first time the mask he’d hidden behind cracked. He let his arms drop to his sides, relaxing his stance a little. “Took you long enough to figure that out.” It was almost friendly, a little defeated but not in any way hostile, and that was already more than what Leon had dared to hope for. 

For a moment they kept looking at one another, neither of them willing to be the first one to look away. Eventually Piers was the one to break the silence. “So what’s next? Are you here to just set the record straight and clear your conscience?” he asked directly, never one to beat around the bush. “What do you want?”

This time, there was no hesitation. There was only one possible answer Leon could give to the question. “You.” He didn’t even blink as he met Piers’ gaze head-on, trying to show how serious he was, how much he meant it. “If you’ll still have me.”

Something flashed in Piers’ eyes, his expression faltering. For the first time he broke the eye contact, glanced down, shifting a little in his place. “I know you,” he started, softly, “enough to understand why you freaked out. But I need _you _to understand that you can’t just… throw me aside whenever you feel overwhelmed. _If_,” he stressed the word, looking up again, “we’re doing this? You need to talk to me. Not just run off.”

A fresh stab of guilt shot through Leon. It would’ve been easier to deal with anger and yelling, to take all of the accusations he rightfully deserved, than to have Piers so calm and rational. He almost laughed at the way he had called Piers a child during their argument, even if he obviously was the more sensible one here. “I know,” he said. “You deserve better.”

“Damn right I do,” Piers replied with emphasis. “But so do _you_. It’s supposed to be a mutually beneficial thing, y’know?” 

There wasn’t really much to add to that so Leon nodded. He already started to reply more than once, opened his mouth but no words came out, as he had no idea where to go from here. He knew more than well where he’d screwed up, and he wanted, more than anything, not to repeat old mistakes. 

Thankfully the awkward pause didn’t last for too long, before Piers took mercy on them both and broke the silence. “I talked about this,” he said, gesturing vaguely between them, “with mom. And you know what she kept telling me?” He looked right at Leon, a smile tugging at his lips. “Surprisingly not to dump your sorry ass, but to talk it out. She’s been trying to make me give in for two days now.”

With a small shrug Piers went on. “I guess this was our first real fight. And if you ask me, it took us surprisingly long to get there.” The smile he gave Leon was tentative but it was definitely there, even reached his eyes, and hell if that wasn’t the best thing Leon had seen in _days_.

“Yeah,” Leon replied with a low chuckle. “You’re such a stubborn asshole.”

This time Piers’ smile stretched into a proper grin, accompanied by a snort of laughter. “Look who’s talking. Who was it that knocked sense into you? Claire?”

“Chris.” Leon returned the grin. “He said you’ve been unbearable.”

Piers didn’t even try to deny that, only shrugged noncommittally. “He might be right.” He leaned back against the wall, then, tilting his head a little as he watched Leon thoughtfully. “Now, are you going to kiss me or do I have to do everything here?”

Leon could’ve sworn his heart fucking skipped a beat. The question was so far from the realm of possibilities he’d allowed himself to entertain that it didn’t even seem real at first. Tentatively he stepped closer, carefully cupping Piers’ jaw in his palm, as he felt like he was going through an epiphany. That was when Piers’ patience snapped though, and he grabbed the front of Leon’s shirt to yank him in. 

Easily Leon fell in, catching himself against the wall with his hands, arms bracketing Piers’ head. It was like a dam was breaking, there was no holding back. Leon kissed Piers like he was starving for it, like his life depended on it, like he could convey all of his feelings in the clash of their mouths. He pressed as close as he dared to, and it was like every fiber of his being was relaxing at the warmth that was radiating from Piers. 

The best part of it all was, easily, the way Piers responded in kind. His hands found their way to Leon’s waist, and he used the grip to pull him even closer, easing away the last of the doubts and the hesitation, like he was giving Leon permission to stop holding back. 

“Next time,” Piers started as soon as they finally broke apart, but he had to pause for breath already after the two words. He was grinning, though, looked really pleased with himself as he stayed there against the wall like he had all the time in the world. “Next time when you freak out like that, you’d better not break up with me.”

Sheer and utter relief flooded through Leon at that. 

He could still have this. He hadn’t fucked up beyond repair. 

Leon didn’t even try to deny that there would be a next time. He knew himself well enough, hell, they _both _knew him well enough, and this definitely wouldn’t be the last one of those. The only difference was that now Leon was determined to work through them. He’d never in his life wanted anything to work out this badly. He’d do everything he humanly could to open up about it, to let Piers in and allow him to work through it with him. 

With something dangerously close to a whimper he fell in, and Piers probably caught him only because his reflexes were so good. Leon’s hands found their way to Piers’ back, where he clasped the shirt in his hands, holding on knuckles white. Trying to swallow through the lump that was back in his throat he buried his face into Piers’ neck, and when he felt fingers carding through his hair he couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

He felt wholly undeserving of the comfort, but he was weak, he reveled in it anyway. 

Piers placed a warm palm in the back of Leon’s neck, the touch so grounding it settled something inside of Leon. “It’s okay,” Piers said, softly, the barest hint of a tremor in his voice. 

“No it’s fucking not,” Leon mumbled defiantly, his voice muffled from where he was still hiding his tears, “you really should tell me to fuck off and never come back.” On some level he meant it, still thought that this was too good to be true, that things had turned out impossibly well. It had to be a dream, right? Yet the overwhelming feeling was relief, beyond belief. 

“Yeah, well,” Piers huffed out a small laugh, shrugging a little awkwardly while still trying to hold Leon close. He was rubbing circles into Leon’s back, the slow monotone of the movement more than a little calming. “What can I say? I kind of want to keep you.”

The words made Leon finally pull back, enough to be able to look at the other man from his red-rimmed eyes. “Still?” A part of him hated how small his voice sounded. It was so uncharacteristic of him, something he kept hidden so well that only a small handful of people had ever really seen that side of him. Determinedly he pushed that aside, consciously making the choice of not pulling up his defenses. 

Without hesitation Piers met his eyes. “Still.”

Slowly Leon moved in, their noses brushing together as he closed the last distance and sealed their lips together. It was chaste, gentle and careful, as if a question. One that was clearly answered when Piers shamelessly deepened the contact the first chance he got. 

Piers pulled back before they could get too into it. “My mom’s still in there,” he said, nodding towards the door, “so I guess I’d better go explain to her that she can stop plotting your murder.” He looked Leon in the eye, his smile turning from a cocky grin to something almost tentative. “Wanna come with? It’s… y’know, okay if you don’t.”

Leon really, really didn’t want to. Then again, it was a mess of his own making, and he could damn well toughen up and deal with it. Even if it probably scared him more than any gigantic BOW he’d faced. “Sure.” He straightened and took a step back, squaring his shoulders in preparation. 

“Don’t worry,” Piers smirked over his shoulder as he went to open the door, “I don’t think she’ll hurt you too bad.”

“You _don’t think_?” Leon was regretting this already. He followed Piers inside anyway.

*

Truth to be told, the dinner together wasn’t as awkward as Leon had thought it’d be. There had been a quick discussion between Piers and Mrs Nivans in hushed whispers that Leon had tried his best not to eavesdrop on. Then he’d been invited to stay for dinner, and the way Mrs Nivans had said it hadn’t really offered any room for declining.

Most of the time Piers and his mother kept up a conversation, and Leon could get away with minimal participating. Then Leon felt eyes on him, and looked up from his plate only to find Mrs Nivans staring at him. “So, Piers never really told me. How did you two end up together?”

Leon nearly choked on his water. Quickly he grabbed a napkin and coughed into it, grateful for the moment it gave him to _think_. In his mind he immediately went back to when the night out drinking with friends had turned out to be when the vague tension that had been brewing between them finally snapped. They’d both had a few drinks when Piers pushed Leon against the wall in the men’s room, kissing him breathless, and in mere _minutes _Leon had been down on his knees unzipping Piers’ pants. 

Not that he regretted any of it. He _definitely _didn’t. But he couldn’t tell Mrs Nivans any version of _that_. ‘Oh, ma’am, I sucked your son off in a public bathroom’ probably wasn’t the kind of an answer that mothers in general wanted to hear when they asked that question. Quickly Leon glanced at Piers, and the barest hint of a blush told him that Piers’ mind had gone to the same place. 

“We, um,” Leon finally got himself under control enough to reply, “were both out with friends?” Somehow it turned out a question rather than a statement. He scrambled his brain for something to elaborate with, eventually landing on “The next day we went out for lunch.” Truth to be told, it had been less lunch and more late breakfast, and they’d ended up back to Leon’s place afterwards. For more of activities he’d never in his life voice out loud in front of Piers’ _mother_. 

“Oh that sounds nice!” Mrs Nivans brightened, curiosity twinkling in her eyes in a way that made her seem decades younger. Even if Leon’s answer had been mostly useless, not even all that coherent, she seemed to just roll with it. “I still remember those first weeks of dating, they’re so exciting, getting to know one another. All the likes and dislikes, what makes the other person tick.”

Leon took a long sip from his glass of water, just so that he didn’t need to answer anything to that. Sure they had enjoyed each other’s company right from the start, but it had been only hook-ups at first, getting together every once in a while because they had noticed how well they matched when it came to sex. It had taken quite a while before it had grown into anything more serious than that. And apparently Leon had willfully ignored half of that, too, if their argument was anything to go by. 

Mrs Nivans seemed to be dwelling in fond memories, as she continued a little dreamily. “It took my husband three dates before he even kissed me.” She arched an eyebrow, tilting her head curiously. “I bet it didn’t take you two that long, now did it?”

“Uhm.” Leon glanced at Piers, who was… grinning? He was _enjoying _this, the little shit. Leon kicked his ankle lightly under the table, but it only made Piers raise his eyebrows innocently, his grin turning almost soft. When Leon tried to jab him in the ribs under the table, Piers just casually caught his hand and laced their fingers together, like it was the easiest thing to do. 

The gesture threw Leon off even worse, and he forgot he had even been asked a question as he just stared at Piers with an overwhelming amount of affection welling up in his chest. 

Then the moment was broken when Mrs Nivans cleared her throat, smiling politely as startled gazes were directed her way. “Piers, honey,” she addressed her son, but kept her eyes locked with Leon’s, the polite mask of a smile never faltering. “I’m feeling a little chilly. Would you fetch me my cardigan?”

They all knew that she was purposefully sending Piers on a meaningless errand to exile him from the room, and suddenly Leon had the urge to flee. He stayed right where he was, though, and watched how Piers had a silent argument with his mother where they both only used their expressions and not a word was exchanged. It made something ache in Leon’s chest, as this was the kind of family he never got to grow up in. 

“Fine,” Piers huffed finally, pushing his chair back as he stood up. He still gave his mother a glare, but obviously she had won their show-off. In passing by, Piers placed his hand briefly on Leon’s shoulder, brushing his fingers over the back of his neck. It made something settle in Leon’s chest and he felt some of the tension seep off himself. The touch was gone as soon as it came, though, leaving Leon missing it.

“So, Leon,” Mrs Nivans smiled at him, sweet and kind, but with the kind of sharpness in her eyes that should never be underestimated. She was the kind of person who seemed absolutely harmless at first glance, but who could probably snap you in half if they chose to. “I’m glad that you’ve resolved this… crisis.” She paused for a second, her eyes fixed on him. “And I promised him I wouldn’t meddle, but I need to make sure that you understand something.”

Nervous about where this was possibly going, Leon nodded slowly, trying to appear a lot more casual than he was actually feeling. He’d never done any kind of a meet-the-parents thing and he felt so out of his depth that it left him almost hoping for a zombie outbreak and a gun. That was something he could handle. 

“I’m not asking you to make any promises to me,” Mrs Nivans went on after a while, when Leon stayed silent. “I’m just asking for you to please treat him with respect. He’s very serious about this and if you think you can’t handle it, then be upfront about it. He deserves the honesty.” She stopped there, just watching him from thoughtful eyes that looked so much like Piers’.

Leon swallowed down the mess of emotions swirling within him. “I know,” he replied in a small voice, guilt rearing its head immediately at the thought of how he’d managed to royally screw up the whole breakup thing. Somehow he felt like he needed to explain, but there were no words to properly convey the panic that had overtaken him. “I thought it’d be better for him.” He ended up blurting out lamely. 

To his surprise, Mrs Nivans only smiled. “You might be older than him, but he’s still an adult,” she pointed out, almost gently. She even went as far as to reach over the table and pat his hand. “You need to let him make his own decisions. It’s the hardest lesson I had to learn.” She flashed a grin. “He takes after his mother, stubborn to a fault.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Leon replied, and finally the dread subsided enough that he could summon up an actual smile, faint as it was. “But I like that. He’s all kinds of special.” It felt like such a dumb thing to say but at least he meant it, with his very being. Talking about feelings was like pulling teeth, but maybe it was something one could get used to. Maybe. He wasn’t sure if he was that keen on finding out. 

He seemed to have chosen the right words, though, as Mrs Nivans gave his wrist a small squeeze. “Oh I know. And you know what? I think you’ll be fine.”

Leon didn’t really know how to react. This has turned out to be oddly more encouraging than he had expected it to. “…thank you?”

Mrs Nivans snorted out a laugh, the most unladylike thing Leon had ever heard from her. “Now go see what’s taking him so long,” she waved a little. “I will clear the table.” Instinctively Leon tried to move to help her but she just pointed towards the door and he gave in, honestly glad that he could finally escape the situation. 

As soon as he stepped out of the kitchen he noticed Piers was standing next to the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “You really didn’t need to sit through all that, y’know.” He raised an eyebrow, obviously amused even before the grin broke free. “If it helps, you scored some major points with her for that.”

Leon huffed, finally relaxing the set of his shoulders. “Yeah?” Even if he didn’t say it out loud, he was relieved to hear that. Piers was obviously close with his family, and that meant Leon would probably be seeing a lot more of them in the future if this all worked out. He stepped closer, crowding Piers against the wall until they were standing chest to chest, grinning at each other. “And how about you? Did I score any with you?”

“Maybe,” Piers answered, opening his arms to loosely wrap them around Leon’s shoulders. Unable to resist, Leon kissed the cocky smirk right off his lips. It felt so unreal, how in the morning he had been trying to psych himself up to come and apologize, and now he was not only standing here with Piers tangling his fingers in his hair, kissing him back, but had also _met his mother _and gotten her blessing, in a way. It had been a wild day.

Leon pulled back before either of them could get too lost in it, though, and regretfully even took a step backwards. “I’m going to let you spend some quality time with her. Call me?” He slid his hand from the back of Piers’ neck to his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze before detaching completely. 

There were still things to sort through. Yet knowing they were both willing to put in the effort made the task look a lot less daunting.

*

They never really discussed living together, but somehow Leon ended up spending more of his admittedly scarce free time at Piers’ apartment than his own. It took a while for Piers to realize it was happening, but when he did he didn’t want to comment on it as it was so very nice, and he didn’t want to take the risk that things might change.

Not that it was a given, really. Leon seemed to be dealing with commitment a lot better now than he had before. He actually talked about things, too, instead of bottling everything up inside. And that made Piers ridiculously happy. Seeing the actual effort that the other man put into making things work, knowing that he valued what they had enough to do all of that… He didn’t exactly have the words for that. 

Then came the Monday evening when Leon seemed to be gearing up for something, building up to whatever it was on his mind. Eventually he just stopped Piers right when he came out of the kitchen, blurting out the question. “Are you free on Saturday?” Leon didn’t wait for an answer, clearly trying to get all of the words out before he’d lose his nerve. “We’re meeting at Chris’ place for pizza and movies,” he said, shrugging a little as if to play it down, to appear more nonchalant than he actually felt. “Do you want to come?” 

“Um.” He didn’t get any further than that, before Leon cut him off again.

“I mean, they’re all the family I have, so…” Leon explained, a touch nervously, looking at anywhere other than at Piers. “I figured since we can’t do the whole meet the parents thing,” he paused, a little awkwardly, then shrugged again as he went on. “Look, I know that you’ve met them both. You spend more time around Chris than I do. And it’s kind of dumb but… it’s a gesture. Just take it.” 

Something in Piers’ chest absolutely _melted_, and he couldn’t stop grinning as he slowly approached, moving in until they were almost chest to chest. Easily he slipped his hands into the back pockets of Leon’s jeans, using the resulting hold to his advantage to pull Leon a little closer. “Oh, I’ll take it,” he said against Leon’s lips, right before kissing the embarrassment away. “And I promise, I’ll show you just how much I appreciate it.” 

Piers didn’t know exactly what was going on between Leon and his parents, only that there was no actual relationship to speak of, hadn’t been for decades now. It was a sore spot, something that wasn’t discussed, and although Piers hoped that one day he’d hear the whole story from Leon, he wasn’t going to push. Yet he knew enough to know that the Redfields practically were as good as family for Leon, and knew to appreciate the gesture for what it was. 

The relief was clear on Leon’s features as he realized that. He still wasn’t entirely used to the fact that putting himself out there didn’t always get ignored or spectacularly blown up in his face. Now, though, it was easy to relax into the casual intimacy, to let his guard down. So he shifted a little, loosely wrapping his arms around Piers’ neck. “And how were you planning on doing that?”

The only answer he got was a slow, unhurried kiss, one that spoke multitudes of what was to follow. It was easy to fall into it, to forget everything else and just let the moment take its course. Slowly Piers advanced, making Leon walk backwards in the direction of the bedroom, neither of them willing to stop kissing even for that. 

When they finally parted Piers was in such a hurry to pull his shirt over his head that he managed to get tangled in it, both of them laughing as Leon helped to free him from the confines of the fabric. After that the shirts were quickly discarded, every other article of clothing following suit, haphazardly thrown onto the floor as neither had the patience for anything else. Not a moment too soon they tumbled down onto the mattress, in a heap of long limbs and naked skin, eager to touch and be touched. 

It was dark but neither of them really minded, as there was enough dim light filtering through the open curtains, the moon almost full and casting its glow to add to the city lights. The lack of brighter lighting even added to the feeling of intimacy in the moment, wrapping them up in an illusion of timelessness. 

The kisses gained an edge of desperation, the wandering touches turned more demanding, and before long the urgency couldn’t be ignored any longer. “I need,” Leon’s voice was a mere breath, his hands shaking as he brushed his fingertips against Piers’ cheeks. The touch was reverent, almost delicate, as if he was holding something utterly precious as he took in the other man’s features. Only after swallowing hard did he gain enough control over his voice so he could go on, choking out an urgent “I need you, in me, _now_.”

The words shot right through Piers and he bit his lower lip, holding his breath for a second in an attempt to gain back some self control. It didn’t exactly help, and with something close to a whimper he fell in, kissing Leon sloppily. “Turn around,” he said once they parted, already shifting away just enough to give the other man the space to roll over. 

Willingly Leon turned, and soon enough Piers was back close, pressed against him. He mouthed hotly against the nape of Leon’s neck, even scraped his teeth over the spot gently as he slid a lubed finger in. If one asked Leon, Piers spent way too long just gently opening him up, murmuring lowly into his ear, telling him to have patience. Yet a part of him relished in the moment, in the way nothing was expected of him except to focus on the sensations. 

Nothing he said could convince Piers to give in before he decided it was time, and then finally, fucking _finally_, moved to straddle Leon’s thighs. Gently Piers placed a palm onto Leon’s back, between his shoulder blades, and urged him to settle down on the mattress, to relax and stay put. Then he guided himself in, agonizingly slow until they were flush against one another. 

Leon sort of forgot how to breathe. 

Wasting no time Piers set up a slow but steady pace. It was limited by how he kept his chest pressed against Leon’s back, unable to get proper leverage in the position, but that was a price he was willing to pay. He wanted to make every single second of it matter, wanted to have them both focus on every shift and press of their bodies. 

“Is that good?” Piers asked breathlessly, burying his nose into Leon’s soft hair, willingly getting lost in the familiar scent. He knew fully well that Leon would’ve liked a quicker pace, but that wasn’t something he was willing to give right now. So he kept the thrusts agonizingly slow, kept on pressing light butterfly kisses against every inch of skin he could reach, on Leon’s neck and cheek and jaw. 

With a whimper Leon buried his face into the pillow, nodding hastily as an answer as he didn’t trust his voice to work properly. He reached back behind himself to grab Piers’ hip, trying to urge him on with the grip, even if it proved to be a futile effort. Piers was nothing if not stubborn, and when he set out to something he stuck to it. And even though Leon was inches away from begging, he enjoyed every second of this far too much to give in just yet. 

The darkness around them made everything feel all the more intense, the air almost heavy with it, as if they were wrapped into their own world where nothing else existed, much less mattered. And as slow as it was, it made it no less intense. Each thrust pushed Leon against the bed, his achingly hard dick rubbing against the mattress, and he didn’t know whether to move into the friction or to push back against the thrusts. So he did neither, just focused on trying to remember how to breathe, as broken moans were drawn from him. 

Somewhere along the way, the orgasm had snuck up on Leon so slowly he didn’t even expect it when suddenly the floodgates opened, white hot pleasure drowning out everything else. “Oh _fuck_,” he managed to choke out, his fingers curling into the sheets for some semblance of support. He was holding on tight, knuckles white, as his entire body arched like a bow, head thrown back. 

Piers turned and pressed his forehead against Leon’s cheek, eyes closed as he tried to hold on to the last remains of his self control for a few seconds longer. He only managed three, four thrusts before he was tipped over the edge as well, his world narrowing down to the pleasure and the connection between them. He came hard inside of Leon, subconsciously trying to press as close as humanly possible. 

For the longest they were just lying there, still connected, still hanging on to one another, sweaty and stained and breathless. Slowly, in increments, they relaxed into the shared warmth until all that was left was a vague, pleasant haze. Piers was idly caressing Leon’s side, not even fully aware of it. Easily Leon caught his hand, lacing their fingers together. 

The silence was broken when Piers shifted to hook his chin over Leon’s shoulder, speaking right against the soft skin of his neck. “I love you.” The way he said it was almost careful, but despite the clear hesitance at first, his voice was firm. He wasn’t going to apologize for his feelings, and maybe if he kept saying it, it would become less intimidating to Leon, would become something to be accepted with joy instead of whatever mixed emotions were still swirling in Leon’s mind. 

“Yeah,” Leon answered, still pleasure-drunk and blissfully relaxed right there in the other man’s arms. Maybe it was the fact that they weren’t looking at each other, that they were surrounded by only darkness, but somehow peace settled deep into Leon’s chest, replacing the fidgety nervousness and the rising panic. He focused on the steady rise and fall of Piers’ chest against him, focused on the warmth and what felt like miles of skin on skin contact. 

And all in all, he realized that there was no part of him that wanted to run. Not now, at least. Not anymore. He shifted a little, bringing their joined hands against his chest, right above his heart. And when he whispered a barely audible “me too” into the darkness, he could feel as well as hear the gasp of breath Piers sucked in behind him. 

There was a hesitant pause, before Piers spoke up, voice a little choked despite how hard he tried to keep it steady. “Look, you don’t need to–”

“I know,” Leon hurriedly interrupted him, “But I want to.” He thought back to the days when he’d tried to reconfigure his life without having Piers in it, when he’d tried to justify the argument and had tried to move on. He’d been absolutely _miserable_. And while he knew that he probably could’ve eventually gotten over it, more or less, he was utterly and entirely relieved that he didn’t _need _to. 

So he held on to Piers’ hand a little tighter, tilted his head so he could search for Piers’ eyes with his own. “And I do.” Saying it out loud made it feel even more real, and there was a hint of a smile stubbornly tugging his lips as he finally locked their gazes. “Love you.” A part of him expected the flare of panic but it never came, his heart instead making a stupid little skip of excitement.

At first Piers just stared at him as if he had performed some kind of a fucking miracle. Then he melted into a bright grin, ducking in to hide it into the crook of Leon’s neck.

*

Piers felt a little ridiculous, standing there nervously, palms clammy and heartbeat speeding up. Hell, there was no reason for him to be so stressed out about meeting the Redfields tonight. He’d known them both for years, had spent time with them on and off duty. Yet somehow tonight felt momentous, life changing, instead of a casual movie night with a bunch of friends.

“C’mon,” Leon patted him on the back, leaving his hand there, a warm and calming pressure. “Breathe in. You’ve faced scarier monsters.”

“Scarier than Claire Redfield?” Piers asked. He was already smiling, though, the weight on his shoulders lifting, his breathing easing up a little. 

Leon made a face. “Fair point.” 

A minute later Claire ushered them inside, informing them that she had decided it was high time she’d get to watch Breaking Bad and that the others would have to sit through it with her. She seemed to be dead set on making the day as comfortable and as nice as possible, and whenever the threat of an awkward moment hung in the air she hurried to salvage the situation. It was kind of admirable, how she was so determined. 

Not that there was much need for it. Everyone was set on enjoying themselves, and no one had any reason to make things difficult or weird. There had been only one really awkward moment, when Piers had called Chris _sir _and Chris had replied with a simple _no_, making Piers look like he might just die of embarrassment. 

First order of business, before they’d settle in front of the TV, was to get some food. Claire commandeered the kitchen, forcing Leon to help her set up the salad and the pizzas. She’d bought ready made pizza crust and different sorts of toppings, so they just had to throw on whatever they felt like and let the oven do the rest. That was just about the extent of their cooking skills, anyway. It was all sort of domestic and nice. 

At least until Claire stopped mid-movement while chopping an onion. The way she looked at Leon promised no good, but there was no time to run before she went on, grinning. “So how does it feel? Having the parental approval. I heard you had quite the pleasant family dinner.” 

Well, could’ve been worse. Apparently she was taking it easy on him for some reason. Leon arched an eyebrow questioningly. “Chris told you?” 

“Yeah, but don’t be too hard on him,” Claire laughed. “You know I can get anything out of him. Ever since I was born he’s been helpless against this adorable face.” She was still smiling, but turned a little more serious as she looked at him fondly. “That’s really nice, though. I’m happy for you.”

Leon could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He wasn’t used to something like this, and a part of him wanted to deflect, wanted to explain it away and belittle the entire thing. Yet another part of him was just pleased about it, and when Claire threw her arms around him to hug him, he just muttered a silent “Thanks.”

“Now let’s get those two in here to help us,” she winked as she pulled back from the embrace. “It’s not fair we’re doing all of the work.”

When Claire yelled from the kitchen for Piers and Chris to get their butts moving, Piers breathed out a secret sigh of relief. He had no idea how it could be so awkward spending time with Chris, not when he knew the man so well and had worked with him for so long. Yet he was afraid of saying the wrong thing, constantly watching whatever he was saying, and his awkwardness must’ve rubbed off on Chris. 

Besides, Piers wasn’t really sure how Leon wanted to play this, and he didn’t want to be overstepping any boundaries. Obviously both of the Redfields knew of their relationship, but Piers didn’t want to be the one to make things awkward by pushing it into everyone’s faces in case it wasn’t welcomed. So he tried his best to be on good behavior. He could be respectful and tactful, he kept telling himself. 

Yet he felt a little out of place, unsure of where his place was in this dynamic. As much as he tried to seem as casual as possible, his discomfort must’ve shown as Leon pulled him aside pretty much as soon as they entered the kitchen. “Hey,” Leon said in a low voice, glancing towards the Redfield siblings who were arguing over whether to put the pineapple chunks on the pizza or not. They weren’t paying any attention to anything else, so Leon turned back to look at Piers. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” Piers answered immediately, trying to crack a smile, but it felt forced and must’ve looked even worse judging by Leon’s expression. Piers grimaced. “I feel kind of… This is weird?”

“You wanna go home?” Leon asked. He didn’t even seem like he’d mind either way, and that already was enough to set Piers’ mind at ease. 

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m fine, really. I’ll get over it.” 

Leon watched him for a moment, as if trying to assess if he was being honest or not, but then nodded slowly. “Alright,” he agreed, snaking his arms around Piers’ neck as he pressed closer against him, chest to chest. “Tell me if you change your mind.” 

Then he leaned in and kissed Piers, right there, in plain view where both Chris and Claire could just turn their heads and see them. It was completely innocent, nothing to be ashamed of and yet it was at the same time more than Piers had ever expected. His heart did a traitorous little skip in his chest and he found himself smiling into the contact, the tension bleeding off him gradually. 

It was over as soon as it had started, though, and soon Leon pulled back, turning to get back to the kitchen. Piers watched him go – quite possibly gave a long look at Leon’s retreating back and that gorgeous ass – a hint of a smile still lingering on his lips. The small moment had done wonders for his nerves, soothed them in a way he hadn’t thought would be possible. And when he joined the others to help get their food done, it felt like he slotted into place in the moment with surprising ease.

*

As the night went on, the odd tension evaporated fully and was replaced with something much calmer, more comfortable, almost like this was something they’d been doing for ages already. They ate in front of the TV, and as soon as the food was gone they moved to get more comfortable. Chris commandeered the big armchair for himself, folding his huge frame into the cushions in a way that didn’t look as comfortable as he claimed it was. That left the couch for the rest, Claire and Piers each taking a corner with Leon between them in the middle seat.

Claire immediately made herself comfortable, shoving her feet underneath Leon to ‘keep them warm’, as she settled comfortably in her end of the couch. Almost hesitantly, Piers put his arm around Leon’s shoulders, but all Leon did was relax against his side. It was such a tiny little thing but it made Piers feel like he’d won the damn lottery, and he had to fight back the bright grin that tried to break free. …although who was he kidding, everyone here knew how whipped he was, and no amount of biting back smiles could remedy that. Didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

Then Leon shifted a little, leaning back against Piers properly, slouched lower in his seat so that when he tilted his head back he could rest it against Piers’ shoulder. “Here, open up,” Leon reached up, holding out a red gummy worm. At the questioning look he gained he just shrugged, “you’re the freak who likes the cherry ones, now c’mon.” 

With a small shrug Piers gave in and opened his mouth, accepting the treat, making Leon grin up at him as if he’d won something. 

They were interrupted by Claire. “You’re _disgustingly _adorable, okay,” she announced, eyes trained off the TV and towards the two that had been grinning at each other goofily just a second ago. “Like, who even needs all that candy for cavities anymore, it’s enough to be subjected to this.”

The words made Piers flush immediately, his face heating up all the way to the tips of his ears. He didn’t manage to say a word, though, not before Leon cut in with a curt “Shut up, Redfield.” He didn’t exactly seem offended, and without looking he offered Piers another one of the red gummy worms. 

“She’s not wrong, though,” Chris added in helpfully, as he got up to fetch something more to drink. They’d gotten through three episodes so far, and it was a perfect time for a break to stretch their limbs a little. Except that no one else was willing to get up, so Chris was the one who ended up getting them all their refills. 

The subject was dropped when Claire and Leon started arguing about the merits of different types of candy, Chris joining in with the third differing opinion as soon as he got back. Piers stayed out of it, only amusedly following the debate. Eventually they went back to watching TV, silence settling between them so they could pay it enough attention. 

Claire fell asleep after four more episodes. At some point between the next two episodes Leon dozed off. Easily Piers shifted him so that he was more comfortable, his head pillowed on Piers’ shoulder as he was leaning heavily against him. Usually Leon was a light sleeper but now he just muttered something unintelligible before he seemed to be back asleep. It made Piers huff out a laugh, and he didn’t even try to hide his fond smile.

“So,” Chris drawled, eyes directed at the TV screen, even though he was obviously aware of what was going on around him. “You two good?” He sounded gruff, like he wasn’t exactly excited about the thought of talking about _feelings _but he was obviously equally determined to say his piece anyway. When he got no answer soon enough to his liking, he finally turned his head, arching an eyebrow at Piers. 

“Yeah,” Piers answered with a nod, fingers slowly stroking circles onto Leon’s shoulder. Leon was still fast asleep, so it was only for Piers’ benefit, but it somehow calmed him down so he kept it up. “Are you going to give me the _hurt him and you die_ speech now? Make this a proper meet-the-family thing?”

“I might.” Chris pursed his lips, as if he was considering it. “But somehow I have a feeling that I don’t need to.” He raised the bottle of beer in his hand as if offering a toast, and finally the gruff expression made way to a grin. “I trust you. You’ll be fine.”

The words warmed Piers more than he even wanted to admit. He held a huge amount of respect for Chris both professionally and personally, and that alone made Chris’ opinion one that he appreciated immensely. And to add to that the fact that Chris was basically Leon’s best friend, the one whose opinion mattered to _him _as well… Having him be so accepting and supportive was _great_. “I hope so,” Piers answered silently, not really sure what to say. “It kinda feels too good to be true?”

Chris laughed, shaking his head a little. “How the hell did you get so cheesy?” He turned more serious then, though, nothing but honesty in his eyes as he turned to look at Piers again. “I’ve never seen him like this, you know. And I’ve known him for almost twenty years.” There was a hint of a smile lingering on his face. “You’re good for him.”

“Thank you,” Piers answered, only barely managing to hold back the ‘sir’ that almost followed.

That seemed to cross too far into the _talking-about-emotions_ territory, as Chris just grumbled gruffly. “Yeah, sure. Just whatever.” He took a long sip of his beer, emptying the bottle with it, and reached to set it aside so he wouldn’t actually need to look at Piers as he went on. “Honestly, you’re a good guy. Even if things don’t work out between you two, we’re good. I’m not going to take sides.”

Piers was floored by the words, unable to get a response out as he just stared at the other man. He appreciated the effort, and the fact that Chris had said that at all, as he absolutely wouldn’t have needed to. They’d worked together for so long that he knew they could trust each other with their lives, but this was… something different. Trust on a whole another level. “Don’t lie,” he joked lamely, “you’d totally take his side, one hundred percent.”

Chris laughed, obviously not bothered in the slightest by the deflection. “You’re right,” he admitted. “I would, in a heartbeat. But I could deal with the both of you. Never underestimate a Redfield.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Piers answered, a relieved huff of laughter escaping him.

*

It was way past midnight when they finally called it a night and woke up the two sleepyheads. Claire barely managed to force both of her eyes open as she announced that she’d be staying overnight at Chris’ place. Leon was more awake and functional, but his hair was kind of adorably tousled and he kept yawning whenever he thought no one was looking.

They were already at the door, jackets on and ready to go, when Claire grabbed Leon into a tight hug. She whispered something to him so silently that Piers couldn’t catch it, but it made Leon smile and glance at him, so it couldn’t have been anything too bad, right? To his surprise he was up next, as Claire yanked him in for a hug as well. 

“You’re officially invited the next time, too,” Claire said, boosting herself up a little by standing on her toes so she could speak right into Piers’ ear. Before she pulled back, she poked at a spot in Piers’ back, making a vaguely approving sound. “Yes, this is it. This would definitely be a good place to stab a man. If they, you know, deserved it.” 

Piers didn’t even manage a reply, not before Chris cut in with a snort. “Claire, that wasn’t even half as subtle as you think.” He was standing a few paces further, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back against the wall, clearly judging his sister. 

That didn’t seem to bother Claire at all. She blinked innocently, like she didn’t have any idea what he was talking about. “Who says I was aiming for subtle?” she replied airily, already breezing past Chris back into the living room. Her brother only rolled his eyes, lifting his chin as a gesture of goodbye as the guests finally took their leave. 

It was dark out, and the cold night air seemed to wake Leon up a little more. For a while they walked side by side, shoulders brushing, just basking in the companionable silence. Eventually Piers was the one who broke it by speaking up. “Thanks,” he bumped Leon’s shoulder with his own a little, “for today. For inviting me.”

“Sure,” Leon smiled, affection sparkling in his eyes as he looked at the younger man. “I hope they weren’t too embarrassing. I kept telling them nothing has to change, they’ve known you for ages and just because we’re… y’know, it doesn’t mean they need to be all weird about it.” He gave a small, slightly awkward shrug. 

Taking a chance, even though he knew Leon wasn’t huge on PDA, Piers threw an arm around Leon’s shoulders, pulling him a little closer as they continued walking forward. To his surprise he wasn’t shrugged off, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bit giddy about it. “You know, I’ve worked with Chris for years but I’ve never seen that side of him.” 

Leon laughed a little. “What side?”

“The intimidating big brother?” Piers answered, even though it came out more a question than an answer. “Although Claire was ten times more intimidating than he was, I don’t think he was even trying. Maybe he went more for the encouraging father figure? I swear, it felt as awkward as really meeting your father.”

“Trust me, Chris is nothing like my father,” he chuckled lowly, and although he was still smiling he hunched a little into himself, hands pushed into the pockets of his jacket. As always when family was mentioned he seemed to get this aura of melancholy about him. “He’s dead. Has been for eight years,” Leon went on suddenly. “We were never close. He was one of those fathers who thought any affection would make you soft. But we got along alright, until…”

For a while Piers waited if Leon would go on himself, but as he seemed to be lost in thought Piers prompted a little. “Until?”

“Oh,” Leon seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts, “until he walked in on me kissing my boyfriend at the time. I was seventeen, and that’s the only reason he didn’t kick me out immediately.” He shrugged a little, but if Piers didn’t imagine it he did sink a little closer against his side. 

Piers bit his lip, at a loss for words. His own father had been surprised, sure, hadn’t been thrilled at first but it hadn’t taken him long to come to terms with his son’s revelation. While his mother had been nothing but supportive all along. So it was heartbreaking to think Leon hadn’t gotten that kind of support, quite the contrary. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, knowing it was lame, but it was the best he could do. Carefully he went on to ask “How did your mother take it?”

“Worse,” Leon answered with a laugh that was so far from happy it was like chewing on glass. “She refuses to even meet me. When my father died, she arranged the funeral so that I couldn’t even attend.” He shrugged a little, trying to play it off like it wasn’t such a big deal. “So, yeah. When I said we can’t do the whole meet-the-parents thing, it wasn’t an exaggeration. Then again, you’re probably better off not meeting her at all.”

“From the sound of it, _you_’re probably better off not meeting her, too,” Piers muttered sourly. Of course it wasn’t so simple. No matter how rotten Leon’s parents might’ve been towards him, they were still his parents, and things were never black and white. He stopped in his tracks, using the momentum to pull Leon into a tight hug. 

At first Leon only tensed, surprised, but it only took him a second to melt into the embrace. “It’s okay, really. I can deal with it.” Truthfully the wound wasn’t as sore as it used to be, it’d had time to scab over and numb over time. Still it wasn’t a topic Leon particularly enjoyed revisiting. 

“Still sucks,” Piers answered with a shrug, pulling back. He stopped for a second to touch their foreheads together, before straightening enough so they could get going again. “I don’t know if it helps,” he started after a moment, “but my mom has basically already unofficially adopted you into the family.”

“Your mom is terrifying,” Leon laughed, and this time it sounded like an actual, real laugh instead of whatever bastardization of a laugh it had been before. “Great, but terrifying.”

“I’d tell you to wait until you meet my dad,” Piers snickered, “but he’s really a giant softie. It’s going to be a breeze. He’ll love you, I promise.” He didn’t even feel like he was making promises he couldn’t keep, because he was confident that it’d all turn out well. His father would probably be practically star-struck if he heard even the tenth of the things Leon had done, the career he’d had.

Leon huffed disbelievingly, but the look he gave Piers was nothing but fond. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

*

Piers groaned as he fell face first into the couch cushions, too tired for anything else. He’d been up for what felt like an eternity, and the past few days had taken a lot out of him. He didn’t even manage to muster up the energy to give Leon the finger when he laughed at him. “Was it that bad, or are you just getting old?”

The only answer Piers gave was a groan, knowing it would speak volumes of how he felt right now. He didn’t look up when he felt Leon pulling off his shoes, but when his coat was tugged on he straightened enough so that Leon could free him of it. Next there were fingers carded through his hair, and that finally drew a smile from him. “Maybe I am getting old. But it’s not so bad.”

“Say that again when I ditch you for a younger lover who can keep up with me.” Leon took a seat, and with great effort Piers shifted until he was lying on his back and could rest his head in Leon’s lap. Leon rested his palm in the middle of Piers’ chest, tapping at it lightly with his fingers. “Better try to stay in shape.”

He was obviously teasing and Piers just huffed at him, slapping his hand away. He changed his mind halfway through the gesture, though, and quickly managed to grab Leon’s hand in his own to lace their fingers together. “You know, it’s our anniversary next Friday,” he said, allowing his eyes to slip shut. This was comfortable and he was still tired, and taking a nap sounded like a really good option right now. 

“Oh, it is?” Leon hummed thoughtfully. “Any plans?”

“I don’t know. We could do something fun.” Piers thought about it for a while, but when he could feel himself drift off to sleep he forced his eyes open again, blinking several times to make the sleepiness dissipate. He shrugged a little, going with what he remembered one of his friends saying. “Some people re-enact their first date on their anniversary.”

Leon laughed, arching his eyebrows as he looked down at the younger man. “You want me to take you to a bar and suck you off in the bathroom?”

“That wasn’t– The first– I– _Not _what I had in mind!” Piers sputtered defensively, trying to fight off a smile. There was no resisting the grin, though, and eventually he let it break free. “But if you’re offering…”

Slowly Leon shook his head, obviously amused. “C’mon, you know I’d go down on you right now if you wanted it.” He shrugged a little. “But honestly, you look like you’re way past your bedtime, and I think you need to get some sleep first. It’d shatter my fragile ego if you’d fall asleep right in the middle of it.” He squeezed Piers’ hand a little. 

“Nothing would shatter your ego,” Piers laughed. “Besides I don’t think it’s even possible to be _that _tired. I know how good you are.” He smirked up at the other man, his eyes sparkling with sheer amusement. “But you’re right. We should go to bed.”

“C’mon then, sleeping beauty,” Leon pushed Piers’ shoulder a little, urging him to get up. “Let’s get going.”


End file.
